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Lionel Zyther
Lionel Zyther is a well-known businessman and CEO from Kalos, with assorted holdings across several major regions. Often heralded as "The Tech Baron of Kalos", his most notable holdings are Strange Science, a green-energy innovator whose products are used in a number of cities in Sinnoh, and Groupe Granbull, the company that resumed production of the popular Holo Caster communications device after the government-mandated dismantling of Lysandre Labs in 2007. Background Early Life Little has been detailed regarding Lionel's early life; however, it is known that he was a childhood friend and crush of Lizbet Parfum, heiress to the noble Parfum family. At some later point in life, however, the two ended their romantic association, and Lionel would eventually become involved with his future wife Lila Shabboneau, heiress of the rival Shabboneau family. Adulthood Lionel spent several years as a middle-manager for Strange Science, a firm that was acquired by Lila's father Lord Shabboneau at his daughter's request. Though Lionel and Lila grew close, Lionel and Lord Shabboneau mutually agreed that Lionel would not propose until he had proven himself a worthy husband. This opportunity came in 2007, with the government-mandated shutdown of Lysandre Labs and the company's division into several smaller corporations. During this period of economic instability, Lionel managed to snap up a number of these firms, leaving Strange Science to consolidate them into Groupe Granbull, which most notably resumed production of the near-universally popular Holo Caster. Despite a number of legal challenges, Lionel's cutthroat tactics and natural business acumen allowed him to systematically bankrupt and buy up these challengers (including his original employers, Strange Science), forming a technology empire second only to Lysandre at his height. Lionel and Lila wed in 2008, to Lord Shabboneau's enthusiastic approval, and with support of his influential wife the duo seemed unstoppable. Tragedy However, Lionel's life was not without difficulty; with the passing of Lord Shabboneau in 2009, he and Lila were left to shoulder the full burden of the Shabboneau legacy, which brought with it more than its fair share of new rivals. One such rival was Obadiah Valdari, a Unovan businessman driven out by Lysandre's dominance who made a return to Kalos in mid-2012. Valdari managed to bring out many of Lionel's darker aspects, putting strain on his relationship with Lila, while also maintaining a position of constant threat towards Lionel's portfolio of enterprises. The two men's bitter feud took a tragic turn on Halloween of that year, when both Lila and Valdari lost their lives in accidents near Valdari's mountain estate north of Dendemille. Lila's death devastated Zyther, and the businessman retreated into a reclusive lifestyle for months, allowing firms to fold and be bought out by some of his more opportunistic enemies. However, Lionel would soon find solace in a new partner, one who was no stranger to tragedy herself. Renaissance In May of 2013, the mourning Lionel found an unexpected houseguest in the form of Cassie Mikazuki, who had fled to Kalos after her supposed death at the hands of her first husband Gerald Hikari in an attack that caused the death of Cassie's adopted sister Christina Mikazuki. Soon after welcoming Cassie into his home, the two stumbled across a sickly amnesiac boy in Geosenge they named Alex, who Lionel soon adopted at Cassie's suggestion. Though the boy suffered from frequent physical illnesses and spent more time in hospitals than out of them, the three found themselves quite happy together, and soon after Cassie married Lionel (under Christina's name so as to avoid discovery by Gerald), with Lionel formally adopting Cassie's second child Lucia as well to better hide her from her maniacal father Gerald. Present Day Lionel has yet to appear in the present events of Rise of the Rockets, but his influence is felt through his son Alex, who looks up to his father as an example to live up to, if not quite to imitate. Appearance Personality Pokémon |move1textcolor = |move2 = Petal Dance |move2bgcolor = |move2textcolor = |move3 = Giga Drain |move3bgcolor = |move3textcolor = |move4 = Leech Seed |move4bgcolor = |move4textcolor = |move5 = Aromatherapy |move5bgcolor = |move5textcolor = |move6 = Healing Wish |move6special = (egg move) |move6bgcolor = |move6textcolor = }} |move1textcolor = |move2 = Night Slash |move2bgcolor = |move2textcolor = |move3 = Slash |move4 = Swords Dance |move5 = Stealth Rock |move5special = (egg move) |move5bgcolor = |move5textcolor = |move6 = Psycho Cut |move6special = (egg move) |move6bgcolor = |move6textcolor = }} Trivia *Though originally planned solely as an off-screen NPC, Lionel's role in Rise of the Rockets was expanded to flesh out Alex Zyther's backstory and to provide meaningful context for the history of Kalos as altered by the RotR timeline. *Lionel's first in-story appearance was in the side-story Lingering Will, a canon story written for the Halloween 2017 short story contest. *Lionel's appearance, personality, and mannerisms are based off of the character Lionel Luthor from the TV series Smallville.